1. Field
The field of the invention is urinals for handicapped females confined to chairs or wheelchairs for extended periods, and more particularly such devices which may be used by chair ridden person without aid from any nurse or other attendant.
2. Prior Art
Many patients are rendered chair or wheelchair ridden because of a disease robbing them of the use of their legs, while leaving their arms strong and free. Often, such patients are quite self-sufficient, using the mobility provided by the wheelchair to fulfill many of their needs without assistance of an attendant. However, such patients often need assistance to be moved from the wheelchair onto a commode for urinating. Prior art bed pans are typically too bulky for such patients to lift themselves onto with their arms while placing the bed pan for urination. Even if it is possible to properly place the pan, a further gymnastic effort is required to remove it after use. Nor can the pan be placed aside further than arm's length without assistance. This distance is not far enough to prevent an open bed pan from emitting detectable unpleasant odors, although the user may be able to remove herself from the vicinity of the odorous pan by use of the wheelchair.
A definite need therefore exists for a urinal for use by chair-ridden female persons who have lost the use of their legs for mobility, such needed devices being capable of easy placement beneath the patient for collection of the urine into substantially odor free storage until assistance is again available. The needed device thus must permit extended periods of unattended time.